Downton Abbey will have a new guest this Christmas. The Dowager will need her best pearls, and Carson will have to get that cutlery extra shiny. Because George Clooney is going to appear in a one-off Downton sketch.

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We were already excited about the new Downton series starting on 21st September but now we have even more to look forward to.

Fifty-three year old Ocean’s Eleven star Clooney has already filmed the scenes after making a top-secret visit to Highclere castle, where Downton is filmed.

“All the plans have been shrouded in secrecy because George was determined for his role not to leak out,” sources told The Sun.

“All the other cast members and crew were also sworn to secrecy. It’s amazing it’s taken four months for someone to find out. This is the biggest moment in Downton history and shows it’s now the biggest drama in the world.”

Given all that secrecy, it’s no suprise that not many further details have yet been released, but we do know that Clooney will be starring alongside Michelle Dockery and Hugh Bonneville as an American guest at a wedding at the estate.

It’s been reported that Clooney is a massive Downton fan and became good friends with Bonneville, who plays Lord Crawley, after the pair filmed Monuments Men together.

The sketch, which will be broadcast at Christmas, will raise money for ITV’s charity fundraiser Text Santa. Last year, pop star Cheryl Cole headed to the Corrie set to film a special one-off episode for the appeal. Behind the scenes images, showed the X Factor judge serving pints with Michelle Keegan, who plays Tina McIntyre.

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Let’s hope that this year we’ll see some pics of Clooney sharing a festive joke with Maggie Smith under that enormous, sparkly Downton tree.